(The Center Square) – Thousands of Georgians remained without power Monday afternoon as the state began recovery efforts from the winter storm and warned of more cold weather to come.
More than 100 counties felt the impact of the storm that blew through over the weekend, dumping snow and ice that toppled trees and power lines.
State offices in north Georgia remained closed on Monday along with at least 12 public school districts. Other districts said they would implement virtual or remote learning.
Widespread power outages remained in effect across the state, impacting over 13,800 Habersham EMC customers, and more than 10,000 Georgia Power customers. Georgia EMC’s outage map showed at least 17,500 outages as of Monday afternoon, down from approximately 80,000 outages that were active as of Sunday afternoon.
A federal emergency declaration has been approved, opening up additional resources for the state.
Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurray said approximately 1.5 million gallons of brine were applied to state highways. And while traffic was significantly reduced Sunday as residents avoided travel, the Department of Public Safety said it received 775 calls and responded to 25 crashes as of Sunday afternoon.
In White County, approximately 80% of the residents were without power Sunday night, according to White County Emergency Management Division Chief Don Strength. Georgia National Guard members were deployed to the area to assist with response efforts.
A major concern overnight was the wind and the potential for more falling trees and potential infrastructure damage to the power grid, Strength said.
Emergency personnel responded to a few entrapment calls Sunday. Strength said the storm was one of the more severe White County has dealt with, and that he had “no earthly idea” when power would fully be restored.
Rabun and Lumpkin counties reported battling icy roads, fallen trees and power lines and hazardous road conditions. Two strike teams arrived in Lumpkin Monday morning to help remove trees from roads.
The National Weather Service warned that very cold nighttime temperatures will persist Monday through Friday, and a cold weather advisory remains in effect for Monday night and Tuesday morning.
